Executive at Jaguar Land Rover parent company Tata says UK should stay in EU

An executive from the Tata Group said it would be better for the automaker's British branch Jaguar Land Rover if the UK remains in the EU.(Reuters)

An executive close to the chairman of Tata Group, which has owned Jaguar Land Rover since 2008, has said it would benefit the car maker most if Britain remains in the EU.

"The fact that our British operations are in the EU makes it easier for them to have market access and many of our investments in the past have been based on that understanding," said Nirmarlya Kumar, the executive head of strategy at Tata Group.

Jaguar Land Rover supports as many as 140,000 jobs in Britain and earned a £1.8bn profit in 2014 after paying £662m in taxes.

According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders the firm built 793,642 cars in the UK between January and June, up 0.3% from 2014.

Kumar, a member of Tata's Executive Council, is a marketing guru and professor at the London Business School. A lack of import duties, decreased paperwork and ease of exporting within the EU were all contributing to the UK business, he said. "It is not rocket science."

"Having said that, it is for the British government and the British people to decide what they want to do. We as [a] business focus on what we can control, which is our strategy, our ability to deliver globally."